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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26511040">Fiddleford's family</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaDusk/pseuds/SerenaDusk'>SerenaDusk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dorks, Family, Gen, M/M, Nerdy Ford Pines, Reunion, after canon, fiddleford love, friends - Freeform, wholsome</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:27:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,640</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26511040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaDusk/pseuds/SerenaDusk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years after weirdmageddon, the Pines are back in Gravity Falls and visit Fiddleford in his large mansion. A time to think about the old days, bring back some memories, and spend some time without Bill fucking everything up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fiddleford H. McGucket &amp; Dipper Pines, Fiddleford H. McGucket &amp; Mabel Pines, Fiddleford H. McGucket &amp; Stan Pines, Fiddleford H. McGucket/Ford Pines</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fiddleford's family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Shadeartstuff">Shadeartstuff</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Home is where your heart is.</strong>
</p><p>“Is there a limit to the number of patents one person can hold?” Dipper asked Ford when Fiddleford had left the room to get everyone something to drink. The polydactyl frowned. “As far as I am aware of, no. But when you have too many of them, the government usually starts to meddle with your business, or they try to stick you in one of their top-secret research labs.” He eventually answered his great-nephew. The kid had grown up in the five years Ford and Stan had spent at sea. It was good to see them back again, another summer in Gravity Falls. Dipper and Mabel had taken the trip as soon as they heard the grunkles were back in town, for stories, memories, and just because the town had a very strange place in their hearts. And when Fiddleford McGucket had offered them all to stay in the large mansion, formerly known as the Northwest Manor, now usually referred to as the McGucket Residence, they had all agreed immediately. Mabel was sleeping in Pacifica’s old bedroom, something she found infinitely more amusing than necessary. The Mystery Twins were turning eighteen this summer. It was a shame that Ford had not been able to see them grow up, but maybe, after they both graduated from college, there would be more time to catch up.</p><p>For now, though, they thoroughly enjoyed staying in the huge house. Fiddleford returned with a platter, and Ford looked up, a wide smile on his face. Now that his old friend had stopped constantly using that memory gun on himself, he had regained most of his memory, and with it, his great mind. The polydactyl chuckled to himself when he was handed a glass with a very weird shape, but when he took it, he noticed how well it fit in his unusual hand. “You never fail to impress me, Fiddleford.” He spoke up, and Stan looked up. “You should have seen him while he was building the Shackatron. Man was half insane, kept blabbering words that never existed in the history of this town, but was building faster than that time I gave steroids to a beaver.” He piped up, and everyone laughed, but Mabel. She just frowned. “Grunkle Stan, why did you give steroids to a beaver exactly? And what kind?” She asked, but one look from Ford made Stan go dead silent immediately. Over the past five years, the old set of twins had gotten to know eachother all over again, and while Ford agreed that Stan wasn’t nearly as bad as he was when they grew up, Stan had to admit that often, it was better to listen to his brother and at least <em>try</em> to stay on the right side of the law.</p><p>Fiddleford didn’t seem to be bothered. The mechanic just chuckled. “It had been a while since I was building that fast. I think the last time I did that before the Shackatron was when we were working on the portal, and one of the control panels had a critical flaw I wanted to fix in two days.” He mused, and Ford ignored the hint of guilt he felt. He would probably apologize for the 300<sup>th</sup> time later when they were alone. “I remember that. You looked like a centipede with your limbs flying everywhere. Sometimes I wonder if your bouncing leg wasn’t generating enough energy to power that thing. Really, you put a rabbit to shame with that tic of yours.” He chuckled, and Fiddleford smirked. “Oh, don’t start on me, Pines. Last time I checked, you still had not shaken the habit of falling asleep at your desk, usually resulting in your cheek being stuck to your papers. Again. That you do that in college makes sense, but you’re an old man. Had it been a newspaper, fine. But really, you look very stupid when you ask me what time it is with quantum physics stuck to your forehead.” He quipped, causing Ford to go bright red. “Geez, get a room already.” Stan leaned back, taking a large gulp of his beer.</p><p>Dipper was trying to contain himself. He wanted to know more about those two working together, but so far grunkle Ford had dodged all questions about that time of his life. He really wasn’t proud of the misery he put his friend through, due to Bill messing up his brain. Mabel had scolded her brother for being nosy a few times already, and he had to admit that his twin sister had a point. But now they were talking about it without any sort of encouragement from him, and Stan got in the way. Mabel could see her brother getting frustrated, and got up, emptying her glass in one gulp. “Come on Dipper, let’s go to the town. I’m sure Wendy would love to see you again, and I miss Candy and Grenda. I have a year worth of cute boys to discuss with them.” She pulled her protesting brother along with her. “We’ll be back before dinner!” She piped up before leaving the room. Stan raised an eyebrow, read the mood in the room, and finished his beer. “Well, I’m going to see what Soos has done to the Mystery Shack in the past five years. He hasn’t gone bankrupt, so I guess it’s going well.” He stretched and got up. After he left, it was just Ford and Fiddleford.</p><p>The two stared at eachother for a while. Neither of them really knew how to start the very obvious conversation they were about to have. Eventually Ford opened his mouth. “Look, I’m sorry for everything.” He mumbled, but Fiddleford rolled his eyes. “You have said that non-stop for a week now. I know. I forgive you. We got rid of the cause in the end. You came to your senses and we fixed the problem.” The mechanic gave a smile, and the scientist rubbed the back of his neck. “I should have listened to you that day, when you gave me the paper of my findings. You were right, with the research in there, I could have retired right away, and there wouldn’t have been such a pressure on me. I would have been able to work on solving that Theory on a much slower pace, so I would not have needed Bill in the first place.” He sighed but felt a hand on his wrist. “Ford, I have known you since college. Not once have you been able to do something at a normal speed. You have 12 PhDs; do you really think I was that surprised you didn’t listen? Why do you think I came back for the test? Who knows what would have happened if you would have been there alone? It happened, Ford. And we can’t change the past.” Fiddleford ran a hand through his beard. It was a lot neater these days, well maintained and a lot shorter than when he was living at the junkyard. It suited him, and Ford gave a small smile.</p><p>The scientist remembered something and rummaged through his pockets until he found a small box. It was wrapped up in dark red paper with horseshoes on it. Fiddleford tilted his head. “Where did I see that print before?” He muttered, and his nose wrinkled as he thought. Ford’s smile faltered a little bit. Sometimes his old friend had trouble remembering details, and it made him sad. “Wait, that’s the same print as that tie Emma sent you.” The mechanic then piped up, resulting in a relieved smile from Ford. “It is. Mabel made it for me.” He answered, then gave it to Fiddleford. “It’s a gift from when I was travelling through the multiverse.” He clarified shily. His old friend looked up and then tore through the paper. When he opened the box and found a colourful cube inside, he frowned a little. “Is this another Cubic’s Cube?” He asked, and Ford nodded. “It is, but not a normal one. This one links to you as soon as you touched it. I never have, only with gloves. When it is linked, you’re the only one who can use it. So, I can’t scramble it up anymore. But if you ask, it will scramble, and you can solve it over and over again.” He explained, and Fiddleford’s face lit up. “That’s amazing. Tate has the exact same habit as you do; he keeps messing the thing up. Drove me insane, so now it’s in the vault behind one of the paintings.” He looked around the room. The mechanic had managed to make the house his own, but the influence of the Northwest taste was still visible. Part of that influence was the typical paranoia rich people seemed to have, causing them to hide vaults behind paintings.</p><p>“Well, this one you don’t have to worry about. It’s yours and yours alone. You would have loved the dimension I got it from. So many mechanics, scientific breakthroughs and discoveries that we would benefit from if we could implement them in our world.” Ford sighed, thinking back to that place. It was unfortunate that it was one of the dimensions that marked him as a criminal. It wasn’t entirely undeserved, considering the amount of parts he had taken from that place, but it was still a shame. Not that he had any desire to fire up the portal again; it was simply too dangerous, no matter how he missed certain things from his life. Parallel Fiddleford for example. That man was a great guy, and despite the fact he had been detained for most of his stay in that dimension, Ford cherished the time he had spent there. He got lost in memories for a little while, until Fiddleford cleared his throat. “You know, I have been working on something. It’s been a while, but do you feel like helping out?” He asked, and Ford’s face lit up immediately. “That sounds like it could be fun.” He agreed and got up, following his old friend to the room the mechanic had converted into a workshop. The place was littered with spare parts. In the middle was a considerably large machine. “What is it?” Ford frowned, studying it. “It looks like a generator.” He added, and Fiddleford poked him. “That’s because it is, brainiac. I want Gravity Falls off the power grid. I could use an extra brain to make it run smoothly.” He clarified, and Ford’s expression shifted. A change the mechanic was very familiar with. It always happened when the scientist started going through options.</p><p>When Stan and the twins returned later, they found the two men still in that room, buried in this new project. Dipper had seen Ford work before, but never like this. Mabel was gloating at the sight of her scruffy old grunkle so passionate about working together, and Stan just stared, half in awe, half in shock. Those two worked together as one. As if they were two parts of the same organism. Not a work was spoken, but tools and pens were handed over as soon as either of them moved. Ford was leaning over the blueprints, while Fiddleford was flat on his back, underneath a large pane, wiring and rewiring the inner workings of the machine. Neither of them noticed they had company, until Stan had enough of it. “I don’t want to interrupt the lovebirds, but there is someone at the door for Fiddleford. He crossed his arms, ignoring the intense glare Mabel gave him. The two looked up at the same time and went the exact same shade of red when they realized there was an audience. Ford grabbed a cloth and tried to get rid of the graphite on his hands. Fiddleford went to the nearest bathroom and cleaned oil from his face. “Who is it then?” He asked when he came back, and the three people in the doorway made a face. “Preston.” Dipper failed to hide the disgust on his face when he eventually answered.</p><p>Ford’s expression shifted. A glare appeared, and Stan followed suit. The grim looks on the original Pines twins’ faces was unnerving, and Mabel shivered a little, but did come along when the other three followed Fiddleford to the front door. Stan searched through his pockets until he found his brass knuckles and Ford’s hand went to the blaster, he still always carried with him. Just because Bill was gone didn’t mean the town was free from weirdness, and it was better to never be unarmed. Dipper was still underage, and not allowed to carry any weapons, but since puberty hit, he had gained a few pounds in muscles, and he certainly wasn’t the noodle he was at twelve anymore. Mabel sighed and reached for her grappling hooks. She still had it, it still worked, and it was still sharp. Fiddleford would not have to face Preston alone, no matter what it was the man wanted in the first place.</p><p>The former snob was taken aback when the door opened and he found not one, but five people in what he still considered to be his Manor. “Fiddleford Hadron McGucket, I came to tell you to leave my house.” He then stated, at which Dipper immediately cut in. “It’s not your house anymore.” Preston glanced at the youngster. “I was unlawfully removed. My lawyer will take it from here.” He spoke up. Fiddleford frowned. He didn’t like lawyers, didn’t trust them either. But then the grunkles stepped in. “Listen up, you chose the wrong side and lost everything. Don’t go around be a weasel, trying to lie your way back to the top.” Stan grunted, but Ford took the document from the lawyer when it was presented and read through it. He frowned and tapped Stan on his shoulder. The other Pines twin looked at him and the scientist whispered something in his ear. A smirk appeared on Stan’s face.</p><p>Meanwhile Dipper and Mabel were telling Preston he didn’t have any ground to do this. Fiddleford only had eye for Ford. “Your family has been a lie from the start, Northwest.” Dipper went into a rant about the whole Trembley lie, but the lawyer ignored them and started listing off the various laws that still made Preston the owner of the Manor. Then Ford interrupted him. “Actually no. The original agreement about the realization of this estate has been violated, causing Preston Northwest to forfeit any claim of ownership of the estate and the surrounding lands.” He spoke up, and at the sound of the court speech, the lawyer immediately snapped his attention towards Ford. The scientist went on to explain the circumstances of the project that was the Manor, and even came with proof. The lawyer looked over, turned towards Preston and simply stated: “I will no longer take this case. Have a nice day, mister Northwest.” He then turned towards Fiddleford and held out his hand. “My apologies for the interruption of your day, mister McGucket. I am familiar with your work. It is very impressive.”</p><p>Fiddleford shook hands with the lawyer and watched him leave. Preston had a very sour expression on his face. Before the mechanic had to waste one more word, Stan gave a glare. “Beat it, weasel.” He grunted, and Northwest decided to get the hell out of there before he would find himself in even hotter waters. Fiddleford turned towards Ford. “Thanks.” He mumbled, and Ford wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Don’t thank me. Like I would let that stuck-up take what is rightfully yours.” He smiled. “Come on, I think I can figure out how to keep that generator running long enough to see the end of the human race, but not without you.”</p>
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